Do You Know Who's Hosting the Oscars This Year?

From Oprah Magazine

So, there's one question on everyone's mind. (Or maybe it's just ours.) Will there be a host for the 2019 Oscars on Sunday, Feb.24?

The short answer is no. We repeat for the people in the back: there is no Oscars host this year. Yes, for the second time in its 90-year history-the first was in 1989-the 91st Academy Awards, airing Sunday, February 24 on ABC, is going without a charming Hollywood star to entertain us throughout the night.

So no quirky monologue from Ellen DeGeneres (who hosted the Oscars in 2006 and 2013), not a single barking laugh from Chris Rock (2015), and no Jimmy Kimmel awkwardly standing by as the best picture award is mistakenly given to La La Land instead of Moonlight (the infamous 2016 ceremony).

The 2019 Oscars are officially host-free, and that's kind of OK with us. But how did we even get here in the first place? First, we have to start with Kevin Hart.

Kevin Hart was the Oscars host, but things happened.

On December 4, it was announced that the comedian would take the coveted hosting spot on Hollywood's biggest night. He responded to news with a post on Instagram. "I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time,” he wrote. “To be able to join the legendary list of [hosts] that have graced that stage is unbelievable."

However, within hours of his statement, Hart and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were met with fierce backlash due to a history of homophobic tweets, jokes, and remarks made by the Night School Star from 2009 to 2015.

From a comedy set about wanting to prevent his son from being gay in his 2010 special Seriously Funny, to repeatedly using the word f*g, and saying that a person's profile picture looked like a "gay bill board [sic] for AIDS," Hart's past statements caught up with him as many called for the actor to not only be removed as the Oscars host, but to issue an immediate apology.

Hart responded to his critics, but made the situation worse.

Two days after he was named as the host-which resulted in a widespread social media campaign to reverse the decision-Hart uploaded an Instagram video explaining that the Academy told him to either apologize or step down from his post. To the dismay of many, he refused to say sorry, insisting that he had already done so in the past, possibly referring to a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone in which he was asked about the jokes made about his son. In the interview, Hart said he "wouldn't tell that joke today" because of the critique he knew the remarks would receive in a more "sensitive" culture.

"I’ve addressed this several times," he said in the video. "This is not the first time this has come up. I’ve addressed it. I’ve spoken on it. I’ve said where the rights and wrongs were."

Of course, the apparent non-apology earned even more anger from critics, who felt that Hart's response showed a lack of remorse for the weight and harm his words caused in the LGBTQ community. The next day, the comedian officially stepped down, with a series of tweets and the apology many were originally waiting for to begin with.

"I'm sorry that I hurt people," he wrote. "I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together and not tear us apart."

So, Hart is out. Who's next in line to host the Oscars?

Following Hart's resignation-and an unsuccessful effort on DeGeneres' part to get the star to reconsider during a January segment of her show-the Academy decided to ditch the idea of a singular host. Instead, they recruited A-list celebs to "introduce various segments" throughout the night. Michael B. Jordan, Emilia Clarke, Jennifer Lopez, Tyler Perry, Trevor Noah, and Serena Williams are a few confirmed presenters on a growing list. (Here is a full list of every Oscars presenter this year.)

Sources also told the publication that the Oscars is relying on skits and musical performances from Oscar nominees to separate award announcements. Five performances have officially been announced for 2019, including Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper taking the stage with Grammy-winning song "Shallow" from their beloved film A Star is Born; a Jennifer Hudson serenade of "I'll Fight" from the documentary RBG; and Queen and Adam Lambert will bring Freddie Mercury and Bohemian Rhapsody to life with the band's greatest hits.

Yeah, we're in for a show.

Wait, should we know anything else?

Despite all of the above, there are still some rumors about what to expect on Sunday night. One we're kind of willing to believe? That Whoopi Goldberg is the secret Oscars host. Yes, this is in fact being talked about.

Goldberg has an extensive history with the Academy. She's hosted four different times in 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2002 respectively, and she is the first woman to host the ceremony solo. She's also the first Black woman to earn two Oscar nominations. (Yes, she's a living legend).

Aside from all of that, she's been absent from The View since February 6, but her co-host Joy Behar explained that it's because Goldberg is recovering from pneumonia. However, some would prefer to believe she's been absent because she's in rehearsals for a certain award ceremony...

While you chew on that one, we'll be tuning into the Oscars to see all the beautiful drama unfold. (And waiting with baited breath for a Whoopi Goldberg appearance).

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